Head of Loyalty & Retention in Bourne End

About the role

We’re looking for a commercially driven

Head of Loyalty & Retention to lead the next phase of customer growth at Virgin Experience Days across the UK & US.

This role goes beyond traditional CRM.

You will own and evolve our existing paid membership programme, Memory Makers+, transforming it into a fully integrated ecosystem across CRM, app and gifting occasions.

Your mission is to make our customers better gifters – driving repeat behaviour in a low-frequency category by embedding Virgin Experience Days into key life moments through membership, personalisation and timely reminders.

You’ll play a critical role in shifting the business from reliance on paid channels to high‑performing, owned, habit‑forming engagement.

Location

Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, SL8 5YS (Hybrid – min. 2 days in office)

Reporting to

• CCO
• What you’ll do
• Memory Makers+ (Membership Ownership & Growth)
• Take full ownership of Memory Makers+, evolving the proposition to deliver clear, compelling value for customers.
• Refine and communicate the positioning: helping customers become better, more thoughtful gifters.
• Improve member acquisition, engagement, retention and profitability.
• Ensure Memory Makers+ is fully integrated across CRM, app experience and gift reminder journeys.
• Continuously test and optimise benefits (e. g., flexibility, exclusivity, convenience, inspiration).
• Gift Reminder & Occasion Strategy
• Own and scale a best-in-class gift reminder programme (birthdays, anniversaries, key occasions).
• Drive adoption of reminders through smart capture points across web, app and CRM.
• Integrate reminders into Memory Makers+, enhancing the value of membership.
• Optimise reminder timing, messaging and channels to maximise conversion and incremental revenue.
• Build a clear proposition around “never miss a moment” gifting.
• App Engagement & Habit Formation
• Lead the customer engagement strategy for our app, ensuring it becomes central to repeat behaviour.
• Integrate membership benefits and reminders seamlessly into the app experience.
• Drive habitual engagement through personalised content, prompts and gifting inspiration.
• Partner with Product to prioritise features that increase frequency, retention and LTV.
• CRM & Lifecycle Marketing
• Own the end‑to‑end CRM strategy across email, SMS, push and in‑app messaging.
• Build advanced segmentation and lifecycle journeys to increase relevance and conversion.
• Shift channel mix toward owned channels, reducing reliance on paid search.
• Deliver highly personalised, occasion‑led communication strategies.
• Data, Insight & Performance
• Use cohort analysis and behavioural data to identify opportunities to increase repeat rate and frequency.
• Track performance across membership, reminders and CRM, linking activity to incremental revenue.
• Build a robust test‑and‑learn culture across all retention initiatives.
• Translate insight into clear commercial priorities and roadmap decisions.
• Leadership & Cross‑functional Influence
• Lead and develop the CRM/Loyalty function (direct and matrix teams).
• Work closely with Product, Tech, Brand, Performance Marketing and Analytics.
• Influence senior stakeholders and secure investment in long‑term retention and loyalty growth.
• What success looks like (Key Metrics)
• Customer & Revenue Metrics
• Repeat Purchase Rate (%)
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)
• Retention Rate (cohort‑based)
• Purchase Frequency (orders per customer per year)
• Revenue from existing customers (%)
• Memory Makers+ (Membership)
• Membership penetration (% of customer base)
• Member acquisition rate & cost per acquisition
• Member retention / churn rate
• Member vs non‑member repeat rate uplift
• Revenue & profitability of Memory Makers+
• Engagement with membership benefits
• Gift Reminder Performance
• Gift reminder adoption rate (% of customers setting reminders)
• Average number of reminders per customer
• Reminder‑to‑purchase conversion rate (CVR)
• Revenue driven by reminders
• Incremental uplift vs non‑reminder cohorts
• App Performance
• Monthly Active Users (MAU) / Daily Active Users (DAU)
• App‑driven revenue contribution (%)
• Repeat purchases via app
• Push notification engagement & conversion
• Membership and reminder engagement within app
• CRM Channel Effectiveness
• Owned channel revenue contribution (%)
• Email/SMS/Push conversion rates
• Engagement rates (open, click, active users)
• Unsubscribe / opt‑out rates
• Efficiency & Growth
• Reduction in paid media dependency (esp. paid search)
• Cost per repeat purchase
• Incremental revenue driven by CRM, membership and reminders
• What you'll need
• Proven experience driving repeat behaviour in low‑frequency, mid‑AOV categories (ecommerce, retail, travel, gifting or similar).
• Strong track record owning and optimising membership or loyalty programmes.
• Experience building trigger‑based CRM programmes (e. g., reminders, lifecycle, behavioural triggers).
• Deep expertise in multi‑channel CRM strategy and execution.
• Strong commercial and analytical mindset, with experience in cohort analysis and segmentation.
• Experience working closely with Product & Tech teams to deliver customer‑facing features (e. g., app, personalisation, reminder capture).
• Ability to connect customer insight to tangible revenue outcomes.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Why this role matters

This is a pivotal role in transforming Virgin Experience Days from a one‑off purchase business into a habit‑driven, occasion‑led brand.

By connecting Memory Makers+, app engagement and gift reminders, you will help customers become better gifters, while unlocking significant repeat revenue and long‑term customer value.

Perks to make work feel less ordinary

• Time for you: 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell up to 2 days each year.
• Freedom to work your way: 2 days in‑office (Tuesdays a mandatory in‑office day), flexi‑working hours around our core 10‑4, so your day works for you (8.5 hours per day).
• Wellbeing that works: Access to an award‑winning employee assistance programme; Health Plan cover (plus family add‑ons) with cash back for a variety of health & wellbeing costs; Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes (post probation).
• Future proofing you (and your finances): Company pension (5% you, 3% us) after 3 months; discretionary bonus and life assurance after probation.
• Giving back & all the anti‑ordinary extras: 2 volunteer days each year; free breakfast when in the office; personal re‑loadable multi‑choice gift card (topped up on your birthday, lifetime milestones and internal celebrations); yearly £150 experience voucher; discounts on experiences and across the Virgin Group; refer a friend bonus and generous team celebrations throughout the year.

About us

We’re one of the world’s leading experience gift brands, making it easy to give the unexpected and deepen connections through anti‑ordinary gifting.

In the UK, you’ll know us as Virgin Experience Days – one of the first brands to pioneer the premise that the best gifts can’t be boxed, going back to 1988.

We kicked things off with track days and flying experiences.

Now we’re home to more than 5,000 amazing experience gifts – from immersive theatre, to virtual reality, VIP stadium tours, Michelin‑starred dining and more.

Operating in the US as Virgin Gifts, we’re proudly part of the Virgin family, working alongside the likes of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels, and Virgin Voyages to deliver extraordinary experiences everywhere.

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